#3 From Mountain Vistas to Japanese Infused French Cuisine.

Proceeding north of the JR station is a walk (or bicycle ride) with a city park, expansive vistas and a restaurant with the grandest view. Crossing diagonally from the JR station you will see the Carrara marble “Lovers”, the largest marble sculpture in Japan, by the New York artist Minako Yoshino and inspired by the Shinto creation deities Izanagi and Izanami. Behind it are two excellent concert halls: the five story, opera style Aubade Hall seating 2,000 plus, and the new, more intimate Middle Hall seating 650. Five blocks further north is beautiful Kansui Park, an ecological success story, a toxic canal area transformed into a magnificent, multiuse urban park.

The park path to the knoll on the right brings you to what is often regarded as the most beautiful Starbucks in Japan, with three sides of floor to ceiling glass walls overlooking the park and lake. Taking the path to the left brings you to my favorite view restaurant, La Chance. As soon as you enter the understated elegance of this restaurant and see the “wow factor” view you understand why it is such a popular dinning location for special occasions and a sought after venue for Toyama weddings. Looking out the restaurant’s 180-degrees of two-story glass wall over a tree lined historic canal, to your right is the Tenmon (Heaven Gate) Bridge, a tranquil lake, and in the distance the stunning Northern Japan Alps, while to your left the canal waters lead to the sea. Below to the right is the historic Ushijima riverboat lock where flat bottom boats like the one in the Chihuly glass installation mentioned above were lowered from the river to canal height, and a landing for modern cruise boats you can take down to the sea.

La Chance Chef Masaharu Kano began his cooking career in a Japanese restaurant in Sydney 26 years ago, and brings a Japanese aesthetic and detail to French cuisine with local ingredients. His favorite ingredients follow the seasons with an emphasis on locally sourced and unique Toyama seafood: firefly squid, mountain trout, and white shrimp in spring, river sweet fish in summer, and red queen crab and yellowtail in winter. Other treats are Toyama bred wagyu raised on sake lees, Toyama Bay abalone, and the sweet umami of FuFuFu (the happiness and abundance of water, land, farmers) rice, the newest Toyama rice strain, all turned into exquisite miniature works of art encircled perhaps by a rich vin jaune sauce.

On my last visit the sommelier showed me a selection of wines from Bordeau, Côtes du Rhône, Sauternes, Champagne, etc., but you can also try a Barolo, a California Opus One, or an excellent award-winning Decanter 91 point Japanese white I thoroughly enjoyed. This is a place for a special dinning occasion with impeccable service and stunning views.